Officials with the Rockets, Comcast and Astros have participated in mediation sessions with U.S. District Judge Lynn Hughes, but those discussions haven’t led to an agreement.

“That may be over for right now. We may have one more meeting,” Crane said Monday in the visiting dugout at Safeco Field before the Astros began a series with the Mariners. “Then it goes back to bankruptcy court, and that guy (Bankruptcy Judge Marvin Isgur) can move at light speed if he wants to. They have a lot of leeway on what they can do and what they can’t do.

“So I would like to see something resolved within 30 days, one way or another. He could make that happen — it could linger longer than (that), but it’s certainly not good for us, and it’s not good for the Rockets. I don’t think it’s having any big term effect on Comcast.”

Hughes has held at least three sessions in person or via telephone with a group that includes Rockets owner Leslie Alexander and CEO Tad Brown, Comcast executive Robert Pick and Crane.

Crane said the Astros did offer to make concessions in those meetings.

“It’s difficult because the position we’re in,” Crane. “It’s got long-term consequences on the team. It’s a 20-year deal and some of the offers have been less than that. We’re weighing those, and it’ll be back in court here pretty quick.”

“You try to get everybody to lean into the middle and hopefully get something done. You know, we thought we gave in quite a bit and gave a fair deal. They didn’t seem to want to get to that point. We never got to where we agreed on what the next move was. It comes down to money and time. We need a good deal.”

Crane alluded to the $240 million, 10-year contract Mariners second baseman Robinson Cano received this offseason as an example of the importance of a viable cable deal for the Astros.

“Pretty good a chance a lot of that money for Cano came from the TV deal,” Crane said.

Hughes is hearing the Astros’ appeal of a February order by Isgur that placed CSN Houston under Chapter 11 protection. He also is expected to hear some aspects of a lawsuit filed by Crane’s Houston Baseball Partnership ownership group against former Astros owner Drayton McLane and Comcast related to the sale of the team and McLane’s network share in 2011.

CSN Houston continues to operate under bankruptcy protection. The network, which is owned by the Astros, Rockets and Comcast, has until July to submit a plan of reorganization to Isgur.

A ‘very disappointing’ start

Hanging around pre-game at Safeco Field with business partners, Crane acknowledged the Astros’ 5-14 start did not meet expectations. The team’s had the worst offense in the majors to start the season.

“It’s very disappointing,” Crane said. “We’ve been in a lot of ball games and lost some close ones. We haven’t got a lot of breaks either. We’re not hitting the ball. When you’re not scoring any runs, it’s hard to win games. I think that the hitting’s a little surprising, we thought they’d be a little bit better, but it goes in cycles, so hopefully they’ll pop out of it.”

Asked if he believed the Astros would naturally turn things around, Crane gave manager Bo Porter a vote of confidence.

“I don’t see how it could go any worse,” Crane said. “These guys, remarkably, everyone seems relaxed and upbeat, so I think Bo’s done a good job of keeping everybody on the same page. Keeping our head down, keep working.”

Spring training search narrows

The Astros and Nationals seem to be making progress in their search for a joint spring training site in Florida’s Palm Beach County. Crane said Astros team counsel Giles Kibbe has been working with the Nationals “on a couple deals.”

It seems the site the Astros and Nats settle on may be larger than the one the Astros and Blue Jays planned last year in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.

“We’re hopeful that we’ll get something signed here pretty quickly,” Crane said. “There’s two or three locations they’re working to try to define. … The Nats had a big deal planned in Kissimmee. They wanted a lot more land, so they’ve got a bigger idea on what the footprints will look like.”